2012-13 All-Euroleague First and Second Teams announced

Less than a week before a new Turkish Airlines Euroleague champion is crowned at the O2 in London, England, Euroleague Basketball is pleased to release the 2012-13 All-Euroleague First and Second Teams. Tens of thousands of fans from around the globe were able to cast votes for their favorite players, as did media members from each of the countries with Euroleague teams this season to choose the 10 nominees for the All-Euroleague teams, which were announced late last week. The All-Euroleague First Team features five superstars from as many different teams - Dimitris Diamantidis of Panathinaikos Athens, Vassilis Spanoulis of Olympiacos Piraeus, Rudy Fernandez of Real Madrid, Ante Tomic of FC Barcelona Regal and Nenad Krstic of CSKA Moscow. Diamantidis, Spanoulis and Krstic were First Team choices last season. Tomic and Fernandez have reached the All-Euroleague teams for the first time in their respective careers. Diamantidis has been named to the First Team for the fourth time, while Spanoulis and Krstic each received First Team honors for the second time. Spanoulis, however, had three previous Second Team selections. The All-Euroleague Second Team includes former Euroleague MVPs Milos Teodosic of CSKA and Juan Carlos Navarro of Barcelona, Viktor Khryapa also of CSKA, Nikola Mirotic of Madrid and Shawn James of Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv. Navarro is a member of the All-Euroleague teams for a record seventh time. Teodosic is in his third All-Euroleague appearance, Khryapa received his second nomination while Mirotic and James are All-Euroleague newcomers. The 2012-13 Euroleague MVP will be announced at the Efes Pilsener Euroleague Awards Ceremony on Thursday - a part of the #EUROLEAGUEisON event which also includes the official Opening Press Coneference, the Innovation in Sports Business Summit and a “One Team Arrives to London” CSR event.

Dimitris Diamantidis, Panathinaikos Athens
Dimitris Diamantidis refused to allow what was supposed to be a rebuilding season for Panathinaikos Athens be anything short of a quest for the title. Although the Greens fell short of the Final Four by one game in an incredible playoffs series against Barcelona Regal, Diamantidis has plenty to be proud of as the leader of a remarkable squad. Diamantidis, 32, was the motor that fueled Panathinaikos. He continued to climb the all-time lists in the classic point guard categories by dishing the second-most assists in the league (5.78 apg.) and ranking fifth in steals (1.41 spg.). Even those numbers were stunted by an injury- abbreviated four-minute appearance in the Top 16 opener. Diamantidis remained a nuisance on defense too and received several votes for the Best Defender Trophy, which he has previously won six times. Since joining Panathinaikos in 2004, Diamantidis has won three Euroleague titles, two Final Four MVPs and the 2011 Euroleague MVP award. This is his fourth time appearing on the All-Euroleague Team.

Vassilis Spanoulis, Olympiacos Piraeus Impressive as they are, statistics only tell part of the story for Vassilis Spanoulis, who is the unquestionable leader of defending Turkish Airlines Euroleague champion Olympiacos Piraeus. Spanoulis, 30, is the ultimate combo-guard, who can lift his team with his scoring and passing, which go hand in hand to plague opposing defenses. He ranked among the league leaders in both categories, placing fourth in scoring (14.7 ppg.) and third in assists (5.59 apg.). The inability to guard Spanoulis is well represented by the fact that he led the league in fouls drawn (5.41 per game). All told, he is ninth in the league in average performance index rating (15.4). Spanoulis got the Reds rolling early this season and was duly rewarded as bwin MVP for November. He scored at least 9 points in every game before the playoffs, and when his shooting slumped in the series against Anadolu Efes, Spanoulis took over to lead the playoffs in assists (6.6 apg.). Now in his third season with Olympiacos, Spanoulis is also a two-time Euroleague champ, two-time Final Four MVP. This marks his fifth All-Euroleague selection.

Rudy Fernandez, Real Madrid
Rudy Fernandez’s first full Euroleague campaign in six years has been one to remember. Truly an all-around force, Fernandez, 28, recorded five games of at least 20 points this season, twice had double figures in rebounds, dished at least 4 assists on 10 occasions and collected at least 3 steals eight times – in just 25 games! He ranked among the league leaders in both scoring (13.6 ppg., 10th) and performance index rating (16.3, sixth). Fernandez also led the team and was sixth in the league in steals (1.4 spg.) and was third for Los Blancos in both rebounds (3.84 rpg.) and assists (3.08 apg.). Always primed to lead his team to big wins, Fernandez claimed the weekly bwin MVP title four times, which was the most in the league this season. Fernandez started his career with DKV Joventut Badalona, with whom he won the 2008 ULEB Cup, one season after he made his Euroleague debut and claimed the Euroleague Rising Star award. He spent half a season with Madrid last year before signing a multi-year deal with the club in the summer of 2012.

Ante Tomic, F.C. Barcelona Regal In a breakthrough season with F.C. Barcelona Regal, Ante Tomic displayed all the promise that had long been seen in him to emerge as a dominant force in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. Tomic, 26, not only posted career-high numbers across the board, but ranked among the Euroleague leaders in all traditional big man statistics. Tomic was fifth in the league in average performance index rating (16.32 per game), third in rebounding (6.32 rpg.), tied for fourth in blocks (1.14 bpg.) and sixth in field goal shooting (63.06 %). His 1.71 assists per game were also most in the league among centers. Tomic’s prowess was noted throughout the season as he twice claimed the bwin weekly MVP title and was named bwin MVP for February. He was at his best in the Top 16, when Tomic scored in double figures in every game. Tomic is a product of KK Zagreb, where he also played the five and a half seasons with the senior club before joining Real Madrid in January 2010. This is Tomic’s first season with Barcelona.

Nenad Krstic, CSKA MoscowNenad Krstic cemented his status as one of the best big men in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague with a second-straight brilliant season in the paint for CSKA Moscow. Krstic, 29, was the Euroleague leader in performance index rating with an average of 17.9 per game. He ranked ninth in the league in scoring (13.6 ppg.) and second on the CSKA roster in both scoring and rebounding (4.6 rpg.). His numbers went up in the playoffs, when Krstic was second in the league in scoring (15.8 ppg.) and best in the competition in index ( 20 pg). Moreover, Krstic’s ability to score with his back to the basket as well as in face-up situations allowed Coach Ettore Messina to use him at both power forward and center, which strengthened the team overall. He claimed the Top 16 Game 9 bwin MVP award after leading his team to victory over Alba Berlin. An All-Euroleague First Team selection also last season, Krstic first played in the Euroleague as a teenager for Partizan Belgrade.

Milos Teodosic, CSKA MoscowThe ever-creative force that is Milos Teodosic enjoyed a second straight brilliant campaign with CSKA Moscow. Teodosic, 26, ran the point for the league’s second-ranked attack and placed fifth in assists per game with 5.04. He was the only player in the Euroleague this season with two games with more than 10 assists. Teodosic remained a true danger with the ball in his hands by shooting a remarkable-for-a-guard 60% on two-point shots, while leading the league in three-pointers through the end of the playoffs with 59. Teodosic’s 13.2 points per game are his most since his MVP campaign in 2009-10. Teodosic was the regular season Game 8 bwin MVP after leading his team past Brose Baskets Bamberg with 19 points and 9 assists. London represents the fourth Final Four for Teodosic, who played four straight seasons with Olympiacos before moving to Moscow in 2011. This is his third All-Euroleague selection after taking First Team honors in 2010 and the Second Team last season.

Juan Carlos Navarro, F.C. Barcelona RegalThe Euroleague’s career scoring king shook off injuries that limited him during the season to become the top scorer on this season’s winningest team. Juan Carlos Navarro provided his team and Barcelona fans with everything they’ve come to expect from his storied career. Navarro, 32, averaged more three-pointers per game (2.42) than any player in the league and led Barcelona in scoring with 13.2 points per game despite playing his fewest minutes (25 mpg.) in a decade. As always, Navarro could be counted on to step up in the biggest games. He averaged 19 points in a pair of regular season tilts with fellow Final Four side CSKA Moscow and was the leading scorer in the playoffs (16.6 ppg.) against Panathinaikos Athens when he made at least 3 three-pointers in every game. This marks a record seventh All-Euroleague selection for Navarro, who has been appointed to the First Team on five occasions. He is a two-time Euroleague champion, the 2008-09 Euroleague MVP and the 2010 Euroleague Final Four MVP. London will be his seventh Final Four.

Victor Khryapa, CSKA MoscowThe very definition of versatility in a basketball player is Victor Khryapa. The CSKA Moscow forward was once again a dominant force, even though he didn’t need to score much to do so. Khryapa, 30,led the league in rebounding with 7.54 per game. He also ranked third in steals (1.63 spg.) and 11th in assists (3.79 apg.). Khryapa was the only player in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague to rank in the top 20 this season in rebounding, assists, steals and blocks (13th, 0.88 bpg.). Khryapa earned bwin weekly MVP honors twice in the playoffs and reached double figures in performance index rating in all but three games. On the strength of those numbers, it’s no surprise that Khryapa was also third in the league in average index (17.1). Khryapa, who won the Euroleague title in 2008 with CSKA, will mark the seventh Final Four of his career in London. He was previously a 2009-10 All-Euroleague First Team selection and also won the Best Defender Award that season.

Nikola Mirotic, Real MadridFor the third season in a row, Nikola Mirotic has seen his role grow for Real Madrid as he developed from promising role player into a prime-time player for a championship-caliber club. Mirotic, 21, becomes the youngest player over a decade, selected to an All-Euroleague team. The do-it all forward flashed his brilliant combination of outside shooting with low-post moves and rebounding skills all season long. Mirotic was among the team leaders in multiple categories. He led Madrid and was among the league’s top 10 in rebounding (5.48 rpg.). Mirotic also led the team in blocks (0.85 bpg.), was second in average performance index rating (14.1) and third in scoring (11.7 ppg.). He was the Top 16 Game 10 bwin MVP after torching Zalgiris for 31 points and 11 rebounds in one of the best individual performances of the season. Mirotic set the Euroleague free-throw record that night by sinking 18 shots from the stripe without a miss. Mirotic joined the Madrid youth program in his early teens and made his first-team debut in the Euroleague in March 2009 at age 18.

Shawn James, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv
Shawn James burst onto the scene in his second Turkish Airlines Euroleague season to emerge as one of the best centers in the league. James, 29, was a finalist for the Best Defender Award in addition to being an aggressive rebounder and an amazingly efficient scorer. He did not miss a game as he led the Euroleague with 1.93 blocks over 27 games. James ranked second in the league in rebounding (6.48 per game), fourth in performance index rating (16.6 per game) and eighth in two-point shooting (63.7%). James was third on his team in scoring with 11.5 points per game. In his best game of the season, James racked up 22 points on perfect shooting plus 12 rebounds for an index rating of 39 at Montepaschi, which was the third-best individual performance by any player this season. James starred in college for two schools and set the NCAA single-season shot-blocking record with 6.53 per game for Northeastern University in 2005-06. As a professional, he played three years for Bnei Hasharon in Israel before joining Maccabi in 2011.